Breakaway

The 2010 game consists of six robots playing a game of soccer on a carpet field. At any given time, 12 regulation soccer balls are in play. The field is divided into three sections: red zone, midfield, and blue zone. In both the red and blue zones there are two goals, one in each corner. Getting the ball into the goal scores the alliance one point. Each section is divided by a trapezoidal hill and a small tunnel. On top of the tunnel is a cage of sorts that the robot can elevate itself on for bonus points at the end of the game. Our strategies this year consist of optimizing our mobility and designing a pneumatic kicker to launch the ball from any zone. Our drive train is a four wheel swerve drive that will allow us to drive like a crab: both forwards and backwards and side to side.

Lunacy

Played on a slick surface known as regalith to stimulate 1/6th gravity and involving over 136 game pieces per match, this game all comes down to proper strategy and planning.  In addition to our dedicated construction and driving teams, we also have created a small strategy team, which has already started analyzing various scoring and maneuvering options to maximize our robot’s potential. Also new this year is our use of a modified swerve drive train which we hope will give us greater mobility on the unpredictable field. That enhanced control will be essential for our brush ball-gathering mechanism and for the helical ramp that it feeds into. Once inside, we should be able to shoot them out and in to the opposite alliance’s trailers.

Overdrive

Played on a track with an overpass crossing both finish lines overhead, Overdrive is a game where robots can score by ball hurdling,, herding, placement, and even by simply crossing the finish line. In an attempt to avoid the deadline issues we’ve had in the past, we designed this year’s robot in a modular fashion, with each piece built and tested separately from the others. Although this created fairly significant constraints on the design of the individual pieces, it heightened the diversity of the whole and prevented extraneous additions, and wish a much greater degree of completeness than in previous years, with a four motor drive train and a surprisingly effective ball hurdling device that relies on a cartoony, extending punching bag-like mechanism. This robot is something that we haven’t seen in a while: a machine that has multiple ways to score effectively.

Rack ‘N Roll

The 2007 game, “Rack ‘N Roll”, involves the manipulation of inflatable pool tubes onto a three-tiered octagonal prism. In addition to this, bonus points can be earned for every robot that is off the ground at the end of the match. In an attempt to take the best from both sides, we have constructed a three-tiered mast with a retractable arm and grabber and a releasable ramp which other robots can drive up on for bonus points. Finally, we also have an innovative new drive train system utilizing three holonomic wheels placed at the center of the robot.

Aim High

The 2006 game, “Aim High”, was particularly innovative, a hih intensity match in which robots tried to launch, throw, roll, push, and drop balls into two low goals and one high on either side of the playing field. To help achieve this, FIRST revealed a new device for the 2006 kit of parts: a camera that could track a green light mounted above each goal. In order to achieve success, we decided to focus on heavy-duty thrower based on the mechanics of softball pitching machines. Although its massive weight prevented us from including gathering mechanism and we barely made our ship date, we still managed to place 25th out of 50 teams that competed at the Lonestar Regional.

Triple Play

In “Triple Play”, we had to place triangular pyramids called tetras on holders to gain points. In order to better handle the tetras, we designed a telescopic arm with a claw and stabilizing device attached to it. Though the claw did not always do exactly what we wanted it to, the design was very well balanced and had an excellent range.

FIRST Frenzy: Raising the Bar

The 2004 game involved handling small and large balls into different bins. While the small balls could then be used by human players to score points, the large ones acted as score multipliers. Also, at the end of the game, Robots could lift themselves off the ground by grabbing a bar. Our primary strategy for this competition was to maximize our manipulation of the multiplier balls. Although it was very good at what we had designed it to do. It had a high center of gravity, which made it top-heavy and unstable.